


Thanks For Not Being Horrible

by itspastmybedtime



Series: The Real World:  Growing Up [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Boys Kissing, Bullying, Enemies to Friends, Eremin Week, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Jean Kirstein & Eren Yeager Are Rivals, Kissing, M/M, Mentioned Mikasa Ackerman, Mild Sexual Content, Minor Violence, Modern Era, Multi, One-Sided Mikasa Ackerman/Jean Kirstein, Overprotective, Slow Burn, Violence, this is a three part series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:07:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29668428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itspastmybedtime/pseuds/itspastmybedtime
Summary: my first series let's get itttttbasically armin attempts to get eren and jean in the same room without killing each other, but winds up getting himself into trouble and needs their help.  conflict ensues, someone gets hurt and plans wind up being changed.summaries aren't my thing but i swear i'm working super hard on my first book :)
Relationships: Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager, Armin Arlert & Floch Forster, Armin Arlert & Jean Kirstein, Armin Arlert & Jean Kirstein & Eren Yeager, Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager, Armin Arlert/Floch Forster, Armin Arlert/Jean Kirstein, Armin Arlert/Jean Kirstein/Eren Yeager, Floch Forster & Eren Yeager, Floch Forster/Eren Yeager, Floch Forster/Jean Kirstein, Jean Kirstein & Eren Yeager, Jean Kirstein/Eren Yeager, Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein, Mikasa Ackerman/Jean Kirstein
Series: The Real World:  Growing Up [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2180151
Comments: 13
Kudos: 69





	1. Thanks For Not Being Horrible

**Author's Note:**

> “Yeager is not, and will never be someone who I associate myself with.” Jean blushed as he spoke, crossing his arms.
> 
> “Whom you associate yourself with.”
> 
> “Marco shut the fuck up.” Marco put his hands up in defense at Jean’s bitter words. Damn, and Eren thought he was in a bad mood. Jean seemed to be on a whole other level of nasty.

…

  
Armin walked into his room, holding the bag of chips Eren had specifically requested. His grandfather left not too long ago, claiming that the Sunday afternoon was the perfect time to go fishing.

It’s not like he brought any of the fish home; Armin assumed he needed alone time away from whatever loud noises Eren was making from his bedroom.

“Sasha spends _way_ too much time on Twitter.” Eren spoke once he heard Armin close the door behind him. The blonde rolled his eyes, tossing the snacks towards his friend.

“You’re one to talk, you’ve been looking at your feed for the past half hour.” Eren grunted, putting his phone down to open the bag of chips. He stayed laying on the ground, relying on his elbows to keep him up.

Armin glanced at Eren’s biology binder, which had been left unopened on his bed since he got to the blonde’s house. Eren promised he’d do schoolwork with him and help prepare himself for his future biology test; yet the binder seemed to be collecting dust.

“Did you come here to study, or just to eat my snacks?” Armin nudged the brunette with his foot, watching him eat his food and go back on his phone.

When Eren met his eyes and smirked, Armin sighed and looked away. He walked to his bed, picking up Eren’s belongings.

“I might as well study with the guy I met in class today.” When Armin finished mumbling Eren’s head shot up, turning towards the blonde who had his back turned.

“What guy?” Armin snickered to himself, getting Eren’s attention was too easy.

“He talked to me a bit before lunch, I think his name is Jean. He said he plays football with you-” He was cut off by Eren standing up, being pulled back by his shoulder. He stumbled, regaining his balance by falling slightly on his bed. 

“Jean? As in, Jean _Kirstein_ ?” He received a slow nod. “Oh hell no, you are _not_ hanging out with him.” Armin raised his eyebrow, fully standing and turning towards his now concerned friend.

“Do you know each other? Did something happen?” Eren scoffed at the blonde’s questions, taking his hand off of Armin’s shoulder. He had an angry look on his face, more aggressive than usual.

“Oh, he knows me. He _tried_ to get to know Mikasa, that bastard.” 

He watched Eren pace, mumbling to himself. Armin decided to sit down, leaning on his bed. Hopefully this wouldn’t take long, he had his own homework to do. Jean's connection with Mikasa did catch his interest though.

“Did he try to get with her or something? Was he being a creep?” Armin knew Mikasa could handle herself better than anyone he knew, but the thought of some guy getting handsy with her still made him worried.

“He kept calling her pretty, and wouldn’t shut up about her at practice.” Eren glared at the memory. “When I told him that she’s my fucking _sister_ , he still wouldn’t shut up!” He stopped pacing, throwing his glare at Armin. “Now he’s trying to get with you?! Who does he think he is?” Armin rolled his eyes, sitting up straight.

“He’s not trying to _get with me_ , he offered to study with me.” Armin had a light blush on his face while he spoke, before looking back at his friend. “I understand that he’s being annoying about Mikasa, but you’re kinda…” Armin didn’t know how to finish his sentence without it sounding awkward. 

Eren walked up to him, crossing his arms. Did he have to be so close?

“But I’m what?” Eren was still glaring, making Armin look away. He’s used to Eren’s natural aggressiveness, but his passion towards Jean seemed a bit out of touch.

“You know… you’re being…” Armin rubbed the back of his neck; he’s never said this type of thing to Eren directly. Eren raised his eyebrow, looking down to meet the blonde’s eyes. Armin grunted before finishing.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little overprotective?” Eren groaned when Armin spoke, throwing his hands in the air and continued his pacing from before. Armin stood up, attempting to follow Eren around the room.

“Him thinking that Mikasa is pretty doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy-”

“It means he wants to get with my sister!” Eren turned to Armin, meeting his eyes. Armin rubbed his face with his hands before putting them down at his sides.

“Look, I get that you don’t want him dating Mikasa, but that shouldn’t mean that I can’t study with him.” Eren scoffed at Armin’s claim, setting his jaw and looking away. He started tapping his foot against the carpet, catching Armin’s attention.

The blonde studied his friend’s face and gestures; he knew Eren felt embarrassed. He knew Eren just wanted what’s best for him and Mikasa, though it was too bad he had awful communication. When Eren began to speak, Armin’s thoughts were interrupted.

“It’s just… It makes me feel weird that way he talks about Kasa, and now he’s trying to get you alone.” Armin’s eyes softened, a small smile appearing on his face. Eren was just jumping to conclusions, trying to read inbetween the lines.

He didn’t understand why Eren cared if he was left alone with Jean or not- he hasn’t had issues with bullies since he was in elementary school. Sure, Floch and his friends occasionally teased him but he wouldn’t consider that ‘bullying’. But Armin assumed that Jean had already left a bad taste in Eren’s mouth, and the possibility of him doing something to the blonde was not a risk that Eren was willing to take.

“If it makes you feel less… _uncomfortable_ , how about all three of us study together? That way you two can work your problems out, and maybe become friends.” When Armin finished speaking, Eren met his eyes. 

The brunette’s posture became more relaxed, but remained cautious. He thought about Armin’s suggestion before throwing him a questioning look.

“Why do you trust him so much?” Eren’s question made Armin put his hands in his pockets, shrugging his shoulders.

“I don’t know. He was the only one who’d talk to me in bio when we were doing our lab, and he walked me to lunch when I told him about needing a study group for that class.” Eren looked offended, putting a hand to his chest as his friend finished speaking.

“I thought _we_ studied bio?” Eren’s claim made the blonde give him a deadpan expression.

“Eren, all of our ‘study sessions’ wind up with us watching TV or going out- and you take Bio 101!” 

“So?”

“Dude, I’m in AP Bio. I offer to study with you so we can _graduate together_.” Armin watched Eren scoff and turn away from him, feigning sadness. Armin rolled his eyes, putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder. Eren was a good actor, Armin had to admit. He almost felt bad.

Almost.

Eren turned, having his arms crossed while half heartedly glaring at the blonde. He grumbled a ‘you’re a bad friend’ before Armin snickered, using his other hand to cover his mouth. Eren slapped the hand off his shoulder, crossing his arms impossibly tighter. It was humorous the way Eren pretended to be so hurt.

“C’mon, I’ll ask if he’s free after school tomorrow, and the three of us can study.” Armin giggled when he started speaking, making Eren lighten his angry expression. He seemed to think about his friend’s offer, before dropping his shoulders and lifting his head,

“Tomorrow won’t work, we have practice after school.” Eren seemed a little too happy about finding an excuse to not see Jean.

“Then we can study after practice, you do it all the time.”

“That means we’d have to walk together, and I _refuse_ to be alone with him.” Armin rolled his eyes. Why did Eren have to be so dramatic?

“Then I’ll stay after school and meet up with you guys when practice ends.” When Armin finished his sentence, Eren took an urgent step forward.

“Wait, this is _not happening_ at my house. Mikasa-”

“I know I know, I already thought of that. We can study at my house.” At Armin’s plan, Eren took a step back. To Armin, it looked like Eren was trying to find any excuse to not see Jean outside of school; but Armin was determined.

“You really want this to happen, huh?” Armin eagerly nodded at Eren’s question, making the brunette turn his gaze to the floor, prompting Armin to speak.

“I think he’d make a good friend, and I would like to be able to hangout with him without you being so paranoid.”

Armin thought Jean was cool, a little smug and over the top, but overall a good person. He reminded him of Eren in some aspects, but Eren wouldn’t be able to handle that comparison right now. 

Eventually, Eren sighed and walked back to the bag of chips he previously left on the floor, picking them up and bringing them to Armin’s bed; which he plopped himself down on.

“Fine, but I’m only saying yes because you want me to. Don’t expect this to work out.” Eren ended his last remark by eating a chip.

“ _Thank you_ \- hey stop eating on my bed!”

He hoped Jean wasn’t as _untidy_ as Eren was.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Eren chugged his water bottle, sweating while he sat in an empty locker room. Practice was always the worst on Mondays, especially after a long weekend and tiring school day. 

If only Eren could relax like he usually did after the grueling ‘Monday practice’. Typically, he’d get to hangout with Armin and invade his fridge, or get dragged by Connie to the nearest pizza parlor. His hopes of any of that happening were deflated, at the realization that his best friend was currently forcing him to have a playdate with _Jean_.

He recalled at the beginning of practice Jean had walked up to him with the stupidest grin on his face. Eren has never wanted to punch Jean’s face more than he did in that moment, especially after teasing him about Armin’s plan. He remembered that conversation; it was the second time the guy had ever spoken to him and of _course_ he was beyond obnoxious.

_What’s wrong, Yeager? Not excited to study later?_

_Hey, we’re both being forced into this._

Eren wasn’t stupid, he knew Jean disliked him just as much as he hated him.

_Yeah, but now Armin has someone of equal intelligence in the room for once._

If not for Coach Sadie’s whistle being blown, Eren would’ve decked him in the face right there and then. He would’ve told Armin that Jean had an ‘accident’ at practice and couldn’t come over. He regrets not doing that when he had the chance- it was too late now.

Eren threw his now empty bottle in his school bag, throwing it over his shoulder as he made his way back outside. He saw Jean talking to some of the other players, and he would bet a million dollars that he was talking about his sister- _again_.

Eren grumbled to himself, before taking out his phone and texting Armin that they were ready to meet up. He wasn’t sure why his friend wanted to be his friendship counselor; but if this was only a one-time thing, Eren could bite his tongue. Although, he had to admit that Armin was too trusting at times. He always disagreed with the blonde’s ‘innocent till proven guilty’ mentality.

Plus, Jean was as guilty as they come. Case closed.

He waited for a few minutes, and after getting no response from Armin yet, he decided to go up to Jean and get this thing over with. He walked up to the group, and sure enough his assumption was true; Jean was _still_ talking about Mikasa. 

“Hey, Eren! You on for pizza later?” At least there was a fraction of normalcy coming from Connie. Eren wished he could say yes, but he had an obligation.

“Nah, man, I can’t today. Armin’s making me study after practice.”

“That’s weird- Jean, didn't you say the same thing?” The little lightbulb in Connie’s head seemed to flicker. “Wait, are you two hanging out? Together? No way!” Connie snickered, leaning onto Marco as he attempted to keep himself together. The latter nudged him off with a look of disapproval.

“Connie, knock it off! I think it’s nice that you two are becoming friends.” When Marco made his indication towards Eren and Jean, both began to scoff and step away from each other.

“I only agreed because Armin wanted me to!” Eren’s weak defense came out in a stutter, much to his dismay.

“Yeager is _not_ , and will _never_ be someone who I associate myself with.” Jean blushed as he spoke, crossing his arms.

“ _Whom_ you associate yourself with.”

“Marco shut the fuck up.” Marco put his hands up in defense at Jean’s bitter words. Damn, and Eren thought _he_ was in a bad mood. Jean seemed to be on a whole other level of nasty.

Eren pulled out his phone, checking to see if Armin responded yet. It’s been a while, surely he would have responded by now.

That’s weird, he read the message but didn’t reply. Armin always replied.

Eren had a bad feeling.

“Hey, Jean, I’m gonna go look for Armin. He’s not texting me back.” Eren put his phone back into his pocket as he spoke. He tried not to sound worried as he spoke, but he couldn’t stop the slight shakiness in his voice. As he stepped away he heard Jean snicker, stopping his movements. He turned and looked at him, glaring.

“What?”

“Nothing, man. Go look for your girlfriend.” Jean continued to snicker, although Connie and Marco remained silent. Eren’s glare intensified as he stepped directly in front of Jean. Their chests were almost touching, and only then did Eren notice the height difference between them.

“What the fuck did you just say?” Eren’s voice was near yelling, and Jean took a small step back at the sudden aggression.

“Chill out, I was just-”

“No, say it again, asshole!” He shoved Jean back, pushing on the boy’s shoulders. “First you keep talking about Mikasa, now you’re saying shit about Armin?” He could hear Connie and Marco say something, but he couldn’t hear what they yelled. Jean glared at him, standing up straight.

“That’s it, you’re dead.” Jean tried to move forward, but was stopped by Marco. He had his hands on Jean’s shoulders, pushing him away from Eren, who currently had his arms held back by Connie.

“Dude, stop! What the hell has gotten into you guys?!” Marco looked at Jean as he shouted, but Eren knew he was talking to both of them. Eren and Jean made eye contact, glaring at one another. Eren could feel Connie coming closer to his ear before the shorter teen spoke.

“C’mon man, not here.” Eventually, he stopped struggling against Connie’s grip and stood up straight, prompting Connie to slowly release him.

Jean stopped moving as well, pushing Marco off of him. The freckled teen narrowed his eyebrows before moving out of Jean’s way. He was hesitant to let Jean have such an open shot to where Eren stood. 

The group was silent for a moment, exchanging glances at one another for any sudden movements. Eventually, Connie broke the silence.

“Jeez, you guys get angry _way_ too fast.” Connie's comment received glares from his peers, although he didn’t seem to care. Although, he did find himself avoiding their eyes at the fear of their gaze melting him on the spot.

As his eyes were shifted, he noticed motion near the school building. Although they were still on the field, the building itself was not too far away.

He squinted his eyes, seeing red and blonde dots move erratically. That’s weird, one of them kinda looked like Armin.

“Hey, Eren-”

“You know what, _horseface_ , I really-”

“Horseface?! What the hell is that for”

“Eren-”

“It’s because your face looks like a-”

“Eren!” The boy turned to Connie, glaring down at him.

“What?!”

“Weren’t you looking for Armin? Is that Armin over there? I can’t tell.” Connie pointed to where he was previously looking. Eren followed Connie’s finger before squinting at the pair, no longer moving, now standing still.

Eren continued squinting his eyes, taking a step forward. Is that who he thought it was? His thoughts were interrupted by Marco, who began looking as well. 

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s Armin and Floch. That’s weird, I didn’t know they talked.”

Marco’s thought grabbed Eren’s attention.

His eyes widened, silently taking off his bag and holding it out to Connie.

“Connie hold this. I’ll be right back.” The teen did as he was told, taking the bag from his friend’s hand. Eren’s movements caught Jean’s attention, and the teen took a step forward towards the brunette

“What’re you doing?” Jean’s question barely got Eren’s attention, as the boy was fixated on the two people standing near the school’s building.

“It’s Floch again, I gotta go.” Eren’s response was in high contrast from his previous mood. He was quiet, almost mumbling to himself. Jean watched him start to run off, before squinting at the pair (allegedly Armin and Floch) and watching them for a moment. 

He followed suit and took off his bag, tossing it to Marco. The freckled teen stumbled, barely catching the bag and yelling a quick ‘hey, watch it!’ before following Eren in his chase. That was definitely Armin, but Jean still couldn’t confirm if the other guy was Floch or not.

They left Connie and Marco as quickly as they came, leaving the two to look at each other in confusion.

Jean caught up with Eren, and soon they were close enough to the pair where they could see what was going on. It was Armin no doubt, with-

With Floch? Damn, Marco had really good eyesight. Or maybe Jean needed glasses, he wasn’t sure.

He watched Eren as he began running twice as fast. Jean had to quicken his pace to catch up with the brunette, still confused. What was Floch doing with Armin? Why did Eren care so much?

Eventually, the blonde in question looked over once he heard the two running towards him. He looked at Eren first before shifting his gaze to Jean, who began to slow down as he got closer. 

Armin was being shoved against the school’s brick wall, his bag being thrown away by Floch. Seeing Armin’s face clearer now, it was visible that he was in some sort of distress. That realization put a knot in Jean’s stomach.

Eren seemed to have a similar reaction. Unlike Jean, he ran faster as he approached the two teens, both earning his attention by now.

“Eren, don’t-“ Armin’s plea fell short as he felt himself being pushed back by the brunette’s hand, putting space between him and Floch. He felt himself being maneuvered once more, this time by Jean.

Jean put his hand on Armin’s back, trying to steady his fall while moving him away from Eren and Floch. Both Armin and Jean watched the scene go down, now with Eren holding the collar of Floch’s shirt with both his hands.

“What the _hell_ do you think you’re doing?!” Eren’s voice rang loud, and Jean could tell that this wasn’t a first time occurrence between the brunette and Floch. 

“Dude relax! What the hell is going on?” As Jean yelled, he moved his arm from Armin’s back to the blonde’s wrist, pulling him back as the fight continued in front of them.

Jean couldn’t tell what exactly happened between Armin and Floch, but he wasn’t one to jump to conclusions. He wasn’t sure Eren was the same way. 

The brunette shoved Floch against the brick wall, his arm holding down his chest while the other stayed by his side in a tight fist. Eren has never looked this angry in front of Jean; which was startling to him, considering he thought himself to be an expert at pushing Eren’s buttons.

He felt Armin try to step forward, and he instinctively tightened his grip and pulled the blonde back once more.

“Eren, stop! Jean, let me go!” Jean raised an eyebrow at Armin, turning him towards him.

“You can’t get in there, are you crazy-”

Jean was cut off by a force almost knocking him down. He let go of Armin and caught whatever was thrown at him- which turned out to be Eren. He had his hands holding the brunette’s arms, breaking his fall. He looked over Eren’s shoulder, glaring at Floch.

“Fuck off, man! The little bitch deserved what was coming.” Floch’s words were directed at Eren, who looked ready to murder the red-headed teen in cold blood. Jean’s glare grew angrier at the insult, and he pushed Eren away before stomping towards Floch.

“Well now you’re gonna get what _you_ deserve.” Jean’s words were almost as intimidating as his appearance, his chest broad and expression intense. Armin’s eyes widened at Jean’s actions, taking a step back. The blonde had to admit that he was intimidated; he’s never seen Jean in this light before.

Jean shoved Floch back against the wall, curling his hand into a fist before punching the teen’s cheek. Armin could hear Floch’s grunts of pain, as Jean continued to attack his face. The blonde didn’t like where this was going.

“Jean, that’s enough!” Armin, for the _second_ time, tried to move forward but was now held back by Eren, who held his arm out to block the blonde’s movements. Armin glared at Eren, shoving his arm away and stomping forward.

“Armin, don’t-”

“Jean, _stop_!” Armin was yelling, and grabbed Jean’s arm with both of his own, just as Jean was about to punch Floch again. He held on tight, holding his grip by planting his feet on the ground. Jean looked back at the blonde, angry and confused.

“What’re you doing?!” He could see the determination in Armin’s eyes, and that made him take a small step back.

“Just stop already! Please!” Armin’s pleas were heard by Jean, who looked back and forth between his friend and Floch. The red-head seemed scared enough, his face bloody and his eyebrows pinched together. Jean ‘tsked’, before shoving Floch back into the wall and stepping back, allowing himself to be partially pulled by Armin.

“Next time keep your hands to yourself, _dick_ ,” Jean grumbled to Floch, who began to wipe his face as he quickly turned and speed-walked away. Jean heard the red-heaad grumble as he walked away before sighing, turning back to Eren and Armin.

“Dude, you’re letting him leave?” Eren’s angered question caused Armin to let go of Jean, walking up to his friend. 

“He had _enough_ , Eren. Can you guys ever control yourselves?!” Armin sounded concerned, more so than angry. Eren and Jean both rolled their eyes at the scolding, causing Armin to groan. Eren’s eyes stayed on Armin, watching him pick up his school bag. Jean looked back to where Floch ran off to, no longer seeing the teen.

“What was his deal? Why was he bothering you?” Jean’s question caught Armin’s attention, making the blonde blush. He didn’t answer Jean, and instead played with the hem of his shirt. 

Well that’s worrying. Jean raised an eyebrow, stepping forward.

“Well?” His followup question received another shifted gaze, making Jean sigh. Eren grunted, and it was obvious that he was losing his patience. He turned, grabbing the blonde’s arm.

“What the _hell_ did he want?!” Armin jumped, hissing at the brunette’s grip.

“Ow! Eren, let go.” Eren immediately retracted his hand, a worried expression coming over his face. Jean looked over, eyeing Armin’s arm.

“Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to-”

“No it wasn’t you! God…” Armin rubbed his face before putting his hand on his arm, rubbing at the sting. “I was waiting for you guys out here, when Floch ran up and tripped over my foot. He thought I did it on purpose even though I _didn’t_ , so he grabbed my arm and put me up against the wall. That’s when _you guys_ showed up.”

Eren looked back at the blonde’s arm, locking his jaw. Jean could practically _feel_ the brunette’s rage, but he was impressed that Eren was attempting to control it for once.

The brunette reached out, taking Armin’s bag and slinging it onto his own shoulder. The blonde began to protest, but Eren wouldn’t budge.

“I _got it_ , just stop.” Eren’s snippy tone made Armin raise an eyebrow, meeting his eyes. Eren felt a little guilty, shifting his gaze back to his friend’s arm. “Sorry, just… can we just go back to your place and look at your arm?” Armin scoffed and rolled his eyes, leaning on one leg. These gestures ticked Eren off, and he stood up straight before Armin spoke.

“Don’t you think that’s a little unnecessary-”

“No, actually I don’t!” Eren began yelling, surprising Jean. Since when did Eren yell at Armin? The brunette took a step directly in front of the blonde, raising Jean’s guard. “When I see some guy messing with you and you get _hurt_ , I think it’s pretty fucking reasonable I wanna make sure you’re fine. Do you have a problem with that?”

To Jean, Eren sounded threatening. He was positive that the brunette would never even _dream_ of hurting the blonde, but his tone and gestures made him uneasy. He watched as Armin stood his ground, keeping his eyes on his friend. He watched Armin’s face, and enjoyed how serious he appeared; he looked as if he was about to yell back at his friend. Jean was _beyond_ excited to hear the blonde tell Eren off-

Suddenly Armin lowered his gaze, his posture no longer seemed defensive.

“... No, no I don’t. Sorry, we can go back to my place, okay?” Armin’s face and voice became softer, and Jean saw how that made Eren more relaxed.

“Good. Now come on.” Eren grabbed Armin’s wrist and began to walk, but was stopped by the blonde pulling his hand back. The blonde received a glare before speaking.

“What about your stuff? And Jean’s?” Oh yeah, Eren forgot Jean was there. 

He turned and looked at the taller teen, who kept his eyes on Armin’s injured arm. He looked Jean up and down before turning to the blonde, seeming to have made a realization.

“Actually, yeah you’re right. Do you think you could get Marco and Connie to bring it over? I need to talk to Jean for a minute.” He caught Jean’s attention, who turned to him and gave a confused expression. Armin seemed hesitant, eyeing the two boys in front of him.

“Uh… yeah sure. Just try not to kill each other.” Eren and Jean watched Armin walk away towards their Marco and Connie, who had apparently been watching the scene unfold the entire time. They could hear their cries of concern all the way across the field. 

The brunette let out a breath, before turning to Jean. He wasn’t that good at hiding his blush.

“Look, I’m only gonna say this once and I don’t want Armin hearing me,” Eren looked to where the blonde left, making sure he wasn’t bearing witness. What the hell was Yeager doing? “I just wanted to say… I appreciate you helping Armin out earlier.”

Jean blinked, lowering his head at Eren.

“Huh?”

“Fuck off, you know what I’m talking about. I was worried about you being his friend, since you’re usually an asshole.” Jean glared at Eren for his last remark. “But… it’s good to know that he has other friends who can look out for him. Even if you _are_ a douche.” Jean scoffed, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, whatever.” Jean crossed his arms, looking away. Why did Eren have to be so embarrassing? Thanking him for something like that. 

“But just so we’re clear,” Eren stood straight, coming forward until his face was only a few inches away from Jean’s. The mood quickly became more serious, more personal. “If you ever hurt him, I _will_ kill you.”

Jean met Eren’s eyes before taking a step back, fixing his posture. The brunette had his typical glare on his face, but Jean saw past the angered guise. He could tell Eren was nervous, especially after what just happened with Floch not too long ago. He didn’t know why, but he felt the need to reassure him.

“You don’t have to worry about that, Yeager. I don’t plan on beating up your boyfriend anytime soon.” Eren’s face deadpanned at Jean’s last remark, remembering their previous conversation. Jean smirked, turning his body away from Eren.

“You’re really protective of him. I’m not dumb enough to mess around with that.” When Jean finished speaking, he heard noises coming from where Eren sent Armin off.

The teens looked over, watching as Marco carried both Eren and Jean’s bags, while Connie had an arm around Armin’s shoulders, cheering him on.

“That’s right, my boy doesn’t take shit from _nobody_!” He continued to whoop and holler, making Jean smile. Eren waved the trio over, watching along with Jean. He realized that just like Eren, he was glad that Armin had others to support him.

Eren eventually turned back to Jean, meeting his eyes.

“One more thing; if you talk about Mikasa again I’ll break your neck.” Eren spoke quieter, but Jean could only laugh.

“What can I say man? She’s hot as-”

“Shut the fuck up, horseface!”

“Guys, I just said try not to kill each other!”

Eren rolled his eyes, walking away from Jean. The brunette took his bag from Marco and kept it in his hand, still having Armin’s over his shoulder. He grabbed Armin’s wrist with his free hand, and Jean watched as Eren began pulling Armin away from the group and towards the sidewalk. 

Jean walked up to Marco, taking his bag as well. He looked at him and Connie before he spoke.

“Serious question; are they dating?” Connie snickered at the question while Marco scratched the back of his neck. He gave a disapproving look at Connie before turning to Jean.

“Honestly, I have no clue. But you should be going to Armin’s house right now.” Jean raised an eyebrow at Marco’s suggestion, fixing his bag over his shoulder.

“Why’s that?”

“Armin sounded worried about you when he came and got your stuff. He said something about the fight; he didn’t look too well.” Marco sounded worried himself, watching Eren and Armin walk further away. He eventually looked back at Jean, gesturing for him to follow the pair.

“Really? Alright, I’ll try to talk to him. Thanks.” They exchanged nods before Jean jogged up to the pair, noticing how Eren still had a grip on Armin’s wrist. The brunette turned around when he heard Jean’s steps, raising an eyebrow.

“What now?”

“I uh… I still need to study bio with Armin! Right, man?” Jean’s excuse wasn’t entirely untruthful- he really did need to study. He looked down at Armin, who seemed more distant than before.

“If you’re still up for it, then sure.” Armin nodded, looking up at Jean before looking forwards as the three of them continued walking.

Jena hoped Marco was just being paranoid; he had enough drama today.

  
  


**_To be continued…_ **

**_1/3_ **

  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Development

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> eren continues to be his over protective self, jean and armin wind up talking, mikasa joins the gang, and things get heated in more ways the one.
> 
> there is an eremin make out scene cause why not lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “I think he calls people different names when he gets close to them, or at least wants to get close to them. He has his own way of showing affection.” Jean scoffed, causing Armin to look towards him. 
> 
> “Is that why he calls me ‘horseface’?” Jean’s question was meant to be a joke, but Armin took it seriously.
> 
> “To be completely honest, I think so."

… 

To Jean, entering Armin’s house was (for a lack of a better word) very _weird_. He let Armin and Eren walk in first, closing the door behind himself before looking around. Jean took notice of the cool toned couches and chairs, little nick nacks and the pictures hung on the wall. Armin’s house didn’t really seem like Armin.

He thought there’d be more tech, more colors and a lot less ‘old people stuff’. He guessed Armin couldn’t really control how his parents decorated their home. He assumed the blonde’s bedroom was more attuned to his style.

“So… who else lives here?” Jean wasn’t completely out of touch; he wasn’t gonna assume Armin lived with his parents. But he was pretty sure that no one would let a 16-year-old live by himself, both his family _and_ his friends. 

“Just my grandpa.” Armin spoke as he took his wallet out of his pocket, putting it in a little bowl near the front door. Ah, so that’s why his living room looked like it was from the 60’s. Jean couldn’t judge; he himself only lived with his mother, his father being in the military. 

Jean walked further into the living room, not sure of what to do. He watched Eren put both his and Armin’s bags onto the couch, and head to the fridge as if by routine. Jean followed suit by putting his bag on the couch, but decided to sit on the recliner chair.

“Minnie, catch.” Jean and Armin both turned, and watched as Eren threw his friend an ice pack from across the room. Armin fumbled, but managed to catch the ice pack without dropping it. He took a seat on his coffee table, lifting the ice pack and putting it against his injured arm.

It took everything in Jean’s body not to comment on Eren’s nickname for Armin. No doubt he’d mention it later, when the room didn’t have such negative energy.

Eren walked back to the room, now eating an ice cream drumstick that Jean assumed he got once he took care of the ice pack. Armin raised an eyebrow, watching the brunette take a seat next to him on the table.

“Since when did I have drumsticks?” Eren shrugged his shoulders, continuing to eat.

“Since last night when your grandpa got home.” Armin stared off, as if trying to remember what Eren was talking about. Jean began playing with the loose threads on the chair he sat in.

“Yeah, when I was leaving your grandpa came back with groceries. He let me take one of these before I dipped.” Eren noticed Armin’s grip on his ice pack became looser. “Hey, keep that on.” 

Jean didn’t miss the way Armin rolled his eyes before doing so. He seriously couldn’t figure out their relationship. 

He looked back at Eren, who stood up and walked back to the kitchen once he was done eating. He watched as the brunette washed his hands, a habit that surprised Jean. His confusion must have caught Armin’s attention, because the teen turned to him while watching Eren.

“I got him to start doing that.” Well that made sense; there was no way that Eren would do that on his own. “When we were twelve, I wouldn’t let him in my room unless he washed his hands after we ate.” Armin had a small smile on his face at the memory, making Jean smile too. 

“Alright,” the two turned their heads at Eren’s voice, who was entering the living room once more. “Anything else bothering you? What about your back?” Armin put a small blush on his face, before standing up and lowering his arms.

“Eren, I promise I’m fine-”

“Ice pack!” 

Armin sighed, lifting the ice pack onto his arm. Jean sat up at Eren’s yelling, not used to the tension.

“Eren, seriously I’m okay. My arm is fine, my back is fine-”

“Then let me see! Just lift your shirt!”

“Eren come _on.”_

Jean watched them bicker back and forth, sinking back into the chair. He had no idea what to do or say. This was the second time they were having this argument, and Jean was sure that it wouldn’t be the last. 

He only came here because Marco told him to, but it was clear that it was going to be a while until he could have the conversation he needed to with Armin. He doubted that he could get the blonde alone, especially with Eren being attached to his hip.

Damn you, Marco. He should’ve just waited till tomorrow. 

  
  


“My back is _fine_.”

Jean’s thoughts were interrupted by Armin, who hadn’t moved since the yelling match started. Eren was the opposite, taking steps back and forth, moving around in between each word.

“Then why are you standing like that?”

“I always stand like this! What’s wrong with the way I stand?!”

“It’s- it’s _off!_ ”

“The way I stand is ‘off’?!!”

“Right now it is, yes! Even Jean would agree with me!”

That perked Jean up, as two pairs of eyes met his own. Great, now _he_ was being pulled into this. It’s not that he wasn’t worried about Armin, but he trusted him enough to be honest about his injuries.

On the other hand, Jean _really_ wanted the shouting to stop. His best option was to agree with Eren; arguing with Armin seemed to be much easier.

Plus, he really wanted to go home. This was _beyond_ awkward.

“Look, if you have nothing to hide you’ll let Eren do what he needs to do.” Jean’s words made Armin scoff, narrowing his eyebrows. Eren almost seemed surprised, but gestured towards him before speaking.

“See?”

“But-”

“If Eren sees nothing wrong, this’ll all be over with, right?” Jean interrupted Armin, making the blonde grunt. “Putting up a fight won’t help… clearly.” He was _trying_ to sympathize with the blonde, but Armin didn’t seem to be taking it that way.

The blonde stood still, glaring at the ground. Jean watched him carefully, not knowing what he’d do next. Maybe he should’ve defended him? Armin had been beat up and dragged around all day, and Jean bet that arguing with him didn’t help much.

“Fine!” Armin waved his arms, giving in. “Whatever, this is so stupid.”

“No it’s not-”

“Yes it is! But who cares, can we just get this over with?” Eren glared as Armin interrupted him. To Jean, Eren looked like he was having an internal argument. It was weird to see the teen think this much. He needed to get out of here.

Jean sighed, standing up and cracking his neck. “Alright, we can study another time.” Eren and Armin turned to him, making Jean turn away. “You two… do whatever you gotta do. I don’t need to see Blondie without a shirt on.” Armin blushed at his last remark, shifting his gaze to the coffee table.

Jean grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder before walking towards the front door. As he turned the knob and opened the door, he looked over his shoulder and spoke.

“I hope your arm gets better.” He’ll talk to Armin about what Marco said another time. It wasn’t appropriate to bring it up right now, especially with Eren around.

As he walked out the door, he immediately bumped into something solid at chest-level. He stumbled back, reentering Armin’s house. Eren and Armin looked up at the sudden noises, turning towards the door.

Jean blinked before looking down, seeing pure black hair. Ah, so he bumped into someone? Maybe a mailman? Who else would be at the front door? For a mailman, the guy was pretty short-

That’s not a guy. It’s a girl.

It’s Mikasa.

Jean took two big steps backwards, now fully reentering the household. There was no way to hide the way his entire face was flushed out. He felt hot, and he could only stare into her eyes as she looked at him with a confused expression.

She was so cute when she was confused.

“Jean, are Eren and Armin here? They haven’t been answering my texts.” Mikasa’s question almost left him speechless. This was the second time they’ve interacted, and Jean was determined to make it much better than the first.

It wasn’t going to be hard; their first interaction had been anything but impressive. When Jean dropped his pen and Mikasa handed it to him, he could only mumble a ‘thank you’ before realizing he’d had her hand in his grip longer than he should have.

“Uh, yeah. We kinda got caught up before coming here.” Jean stepped aside, opening the door and letting her come in. When she walked into the living room, her eyes met Eren and Armin.

“Mikasa? Why’re you here? I told you I was gonna be at Armin’s after practice.” Eren’s glare softened, but nonetheless stayed on his face as he spoke. Jean didn’t miss the way the brunette eyed how close he stood near Mikasa, and Jean took the liberty of closing the door before walking towards the couch, sitting on the arm.

He put his bag down once again; now that Mikasa was here, he thought he’d stay a little longer.

“Carla was out and wanted to know what you wanted for dinner. You weren’t answering my texts so I texted-” Her gaze shifted to Armin, who still held the ice pack up to his injury. “Armin why do you have an ice pack on your arm?” The blonde shifted his gaze, unsure how to answer.

“Um…” Armin knew that any answer would have horrible consequences. He had to think quickly; what was his best option?

“Kasa don’t worry about it.” Eren’s intrusion only made Mikasa more concerned, and Armin could tell he was running out of time. Jean was surprised that Eren wasn’t trying to make Mikasa join his side in making their friend show all of his injuries; big or small.

“Armin?” Mikasa’s eyes wouldn’t leave the blonde’s, and eventually Armin looked up to meet her gaze.

In a desperate attempt, Armin shifted his eyes to Jean, who hadn’t moved since he sat down. Jean noticed the blonde,and examined his face. Jeez, Armin looked more nervous than he did when Floch was around. Jean stood up, moving closer to Armin and Eren.

“It’s alright, Mikasa. Floch was giving him a hard time but we took care of it.” He gestured to Eren and himself as he finished, looking back at Mikasa. She looked suspicious, looking back and forth between the three boys standing in front of her.

“You were getting bullied, again Armin?” Mikasa’s question made Armin red, and he turned to her while putting his arms down. Her comment caught Jean’s attention; was this something that happened often?

“N-no! God do _not_ word it like that.” Armin’s embarrassment wasn’t something he attempted to hide, and Jean started to pity him.

“Well she’s not _wrong_ , and keep the ice pack on-”

“I don’t need the stupid ice pack, Eren!” Eren stepped back as Armin cut him off. Armin’s yelling caught the attention of everyone in the room, not used to the blonde shouting unprompted. The energy became tense, and Jean couldn’t predict what was going to happen next.

“ _Yes_ , you do! Just keep it on!”

“No!”

Eren was beyond frustrated, and his temper was starting to show. Jean didn’t understand why Eren was being uptight about all of this; to him, it was uncharacteristic.

“Why are you acting like such a baby?!” Armin’s eyes widened at the insult while Mikasa took a step forward. “Just put-”

“Maybe I wouldn’t act like one if you stopped treating me like one!” Armin began stomping away as he shouted, shoving the ice pack into Eren’s chest before heading towards what Jean assumed to be his back door. Eren followed Armin’s movements, unsure of what to do.

This was the first time Jean had seen Armin angry, pissed off to the point of needing to leave the room. To think about it, he’s been a witness to a lot of ‘firsts’ within the past twenty four hours.

The room fell silent, Eren’s eyes still kept on the back door Armin escaped to. He sighed, scratching the back of neck. He kept the ice pack in one hand, not sure of what to do with it now.

“Eren, what is _wrong_ with you?!” Mikasa walked to Eren, getting in his face. Jean could only watch the scene take place, taking a step back. Eren turned to her, angry and confused.

“I was just- he…” He looked back and forth between Mikasa and the back door before grunted. “Dammit!” Eren stomped his foot on the ground, putting his forehead in his hand.

He moved his hand up to his hair, shifting his gaze down to the ice pack in his hand. Thinking about it now, Armin hasn’t needed it in a while. Eren still remembers the last time they had to use it. He remembers what made him realize how awful the world actually was.

He didn’t want to think about that anymore.

“Eren, why would you call him that?” Mikasa’s question brought him back to their situation, and he shifted his gaze back to his sister.

“I didn’t mean it! I don’t know!” Eren kicked the ground, walking towards the coffee table and sitting down, just like he did only moments ago. 

Mikasa watched him and sighed, looking at the back door. She wasn’t able to see Armin through the glass, but she knew he was sitting on the deck’s steps with his head in his hands. She’s seen the blonde in these types of situations, and she usually had to aid both Eren and Armin until the situation calmed down. Jean was a new factor.

She turned to him, noticing how the taller of the two kept his eyes on the back door as well.

“Jean, could you talk to Armin? Make sure he’s okay.” Her suggestion caught the attention of both teens in the room, their eyes meeting her own.

“Him? No way, he’ll just-”

“He can’t do more than you’ve already done.” Jean blushed, looking between the two. It was almost unbelievable how cautious both of them were when it came to their blonde friend. “Just make sure he’s okay, please?” Watching Mikasa’s eyes as she spoke, Jean had a momentous realization.

He would never be able to say no to Mikasa; not with the way she looked when she said ‘please’.

“Yeah, no problem. I’ll be right back.” He would’ve congratulated himself for his lack of stuttering, but he was distracted by his own worry. He couldn’t deny the minor panic he had when watching Armin yell and stomp away. He was pretty pissed off at Eren too, but it seemed that Mikasa had that problem covered.

He began walking towards the backdoor, Mikasa and Eren’s voices fading into the background. He hoped Mikasa was giving Eren an earful. He hesitated before opening the door, his hand laying on the handle. Would Armin even want to see him, or anyone for that matter? He wasn’t exactly helpful in Armin’s eyes, taking Eren’s side for the first and hopefully last time. He didn’t know the blonde all that well, and he only had the past few hours as a sample to how he reacted under stress.

But Mikasa knew Armin better than he did, and if she felt the need to send him out there then this _has_ to be the right choice. He opened the door, slipping outside before closing it behind him.

He scanned the deck, his eyes eventually landing on blonde hair. Armin was sitting near the bottom of his steps, his arms hugging his knees while staring at his backyard. The blonde heard him approaching, and turned towards the noise before speaking.

“Eren, I’m sorry I yelled-” When Armin met his eyes, he realized he was talking to the wrong person. “Jean?” Armin’s face went from annoyed to confused, and the blonde looked back inside with a worried expression.

“Yeah uh, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” He could tell what Armin was thinking. “Eren’s still here, don’t worry. He’s not mad if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Jean walked closer to the blonde, taking a seat on the top step and watching his friend’s face. Armin shifted his gaze back to the ground, now seeming embarrassed.

“Oh. Is Mikasa talking to him?” Jean smirked at his question, resting his chin in his hand.

“Yeah, she’s giving him hell.” His comment put a small smile on Armin’s face. Although he smiled, he still appeared anxious. Jean took his free hand and ruffled the blonde’s hair before speaking.

“You don’t have to be so wound up, Eren was just being a dumbass.” He took his hand off Armin’s head, watching as he blushed and combed his own hands through his hair.

“Yeah well, I wasn’t being smart either.” Armin rested his cheek on his closed fist, his eyebrows narrowed at the ground.

“I don’t know, he was up your ass every time you _breathed_. I’m not surprised you stormed out.” Jean tried to reason with him, trying to rationalize Armin’s own thoughts.

“Not that. It’s just…” Armin didn’t know how to word it. He turned and looked up at Jean, still blushing. “He’s always been like that, especially since last year. It’s fine when it’s just us, but it’s embarrassing when other people are around. Like… like you.” 

His eyes immediately widened as he twisted his body to face Jean, who had his eyebrow raised. He realized what he said, waving his arms while he spoke at the speed of light. “N-not that it’s about you _personally_ , it was nothing to do with you specifically! You’re great! I-it’s just frustrating when he lacks social awareness, you know? Like when he loses his temper at school for no reason- he does that a _lot_. Or when he-”

“Blondie _relax_ , I get it.” Armin shut his mouth at Jean’s interruption, sitting back. “It’s like… when your mom has some weird and embarrassing nickname for you. In private it’s tolerable, but in front of others it’s social suicide.” Jean looked away as he spoke, but he didn’t miss the way Armin seemed to relax. He kept his body facing Jean, leaning his head on the stair’s railing.

“Does your mom have a nickname for you? Or was that just a hypothetical?” Jean sighed, looking back at the blonde. He lowered his voice out of habit; he hasn’t told many people about this. He was only going to tell him because he felt bad.

“If you tell anyone, keep in mind that I know where you live.” Jean’s threat and feigned anger put a smile on Armin’s face, and the blonde sat up and wrapped his arms around his torso as he waited for Jean to finish his story. 

“But yeah, sometimes she calls me ‘Jean-boy’. I forget when she started calling me that, probably because I was too young to remember. Growing up it was cute, but in freshman year she called me that in front of the whole soccer team at one of our games. Now I play football. I think you can fill in the gaps.” Armin giggled softly, making Jean blush and narrow his eyebrows. The blonde quickly put his hands up in defense.

“I’m not laughing at you, I promise. It’s just a cute nickname.” Armin appreciated the way Jean was trying to empathize with him. “And a funny story.” Jean rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and sitting up straight.

“Well you don’t have much room to talk. Eren’s nickname for you is kinda degrading, isn’t it?” Armin raised a question eyebrow, slightly tilting his head.

“What’re you talking about?”

“He called you ‘Minnie’ before, didn’t he?” At Jean’s question, Armin looked away and took a second to think. He turned back to his friend, remaining as confused as before.

“Yeah, so?”

“Well, isn’t he calling you small? Like, saying you’re tiny?” Armin took a moment to think, seeming to have a realization at Jean’s opinion.

“I don’t think he means it like that. He’s always called me ‘Min’ or ‘Minnie’. I’ve never really thought about it until now.” Armin continued to lean on the railing, looking up at the darkening sky. “He’s always given people nicknames. He calls Mikasa ‘Kasa’; I’ve heard him call Connie ‘Con’ before. Maybe he’s just too lazy to say our full names.” Armin kept his eyes on a cloud, and watched it move across the sky. When he spoke next, Jean noticed the blonde’s face softening.

“I think he calls people different names when he gets close to them, or at least _wants_ to get close to them. He has his own way of showing affection.” Jean scoffed, causing Armin to look towards him. 

“Is that why he calls me ‘horseface’?” Jean’s question was meant to be a joke, but Armin took it seriously.

“To be completely honest, I think so. But you’re different from his other friends, you’re more aggressive and more opinionated than they are.” Armin paused before continuing. “He’s threatened by that.” Armin put a cheeky smile on his face, slightly blushing. “But don’t tell him I said that.” Jean scoffed once more, shifting his gaze to the sky, Armin following suit.

It wasn’t as dark outside when Armin first stormed off, and the blonde was happy to view the stars slowly becoming clear in between the clouds. He hasn’t cloud-watched or star-gazed in years; doing it now almost felt rejuvenating.

“You said he’s always been this paranoid, right?” Jean’s sudden question interrupted Armin’s thoughts. His gaze faltered, but remained on the sky above them.

“Yeah, sort of. He’s always been worried about me or Mikasa, but he’s been way more concerned about my health than he has to be.”

“Since last year, right?” 

“Yeah, about that time.” Armin knew what Jean was going to ask next, and a small part of him was surprised that Jean remembered the small details of their conversation.

“Did something happen to one of you?” The blonde could feel Jean’s eyes on him, but he continued to look at the stars. He didn’t expect this conversation to delve into this topic.

“We had… a situation, you could say. I lied to him when I shouldn’t have, and it made him lose my trust when it came to my health.” Armin purposely made his wording as vague as possible, hoping Jean wouldn't ask any follow up questions. He really didn’t want to talk about any of that.

“Oh. Sorry that happened. I’m glad you’re okay now.” Jean’s equally vague response was something Armin was very thankful for, and he looked at Jean’s eyes while smiling.

“Thanks. And thanks for talking to me; usually it’s Eren’s in this position.” Jean smirked at Armin’s last comment, raising an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“Eren’s usually the one to lose his temper and storm off somewhere. Mikasa or I would run after him and try to calm him down.” Armin remained smiling, although it became a sheepish smile before he continued speaking. “And I’m sorry you had to see me act that way; I’m usually not that immature, I promise.” Jean rolled his eyes at the blonde’s apology, shoving Armin’s leg before bringing his hand to rest on the top step.

“Trust me, that was nothing. To be fair, Eren took it too far when he called you a ‘baby’..” Armin let out an embarrassed laugh, rubbing his injured arm with his free hand.

“To be honest, I think I’m a little too sensitive to that kind of stuff. I got bullied a lot growing up, and they always called me a baby when I’d start crying.” To Jean, Armin almost looked fond of those memories, a smile remaining on his face as he spoke. “It’s one of those things, you know?” Armin looked back at Jean, who’s eyes rested on the blonde’s previously iced arm.

“Yeah, I guess.” Jean couldn’t move his eyes from Armin’s upper arm, even if he tried. “Does Floch mess with you a lot?” Armin blushed at his question, hunching over himself.

“Today was pretty rare, if I’m being honest. He hasn’t gotten physical with me in a while; not since middle school or freshman year. I hate when things get physical.”

_Armin sounded worried about you when he came and got your stuff. He said something about the fight; he didn’t look too well._

Was _that_ what Armin was worried about?

“Eren’s the exact opposite I’m assuming?” Armin scoffed at Jean’s question, turning his head to look at the back door.

“We’ve always disagreed about it. He knows I hate it, but I know he loves it. To be honest, I was surprised _you_ got so violent.” Jean looked down, remembering what had happened.

“Sorry if that made you worried or something, I got a little carried away, didn’t I?”

He remembered punching Floch’s face over and over again. He never liked the guy in the first place, and he couldn’t control himself once the red-head started throwing Eren and Armin around like ragdolls. He especially lost it when Floch called Armin a ‘bitch’. 

“You and Eren both have tempers, but you don’t lose yours as easily. But there’s bigger consequences the longer you keep it bottled up. It’s almost unexpected.” At this point Armin was saying his thoughts out loud, and Jean let him. 

He couldn’t help but agree with the blonde; looking back, he’s even shocked himself.

“I think I want to go back inside.” At Armin’s words, Jean sat up. He looked around the backyard, the grass becoming hard to see. It was starting to get chilly, the sky black and the moon shining brightly. Jean looked at Armin, who pushed himself off the stair’s railing. The blonde seemed uncomfortable leaning his back against it, but Jean didn’t feel the need to comment.

“Are you saying that because you want to talk to Eren, or because it’s getting cold?” As Armin began standing, he paused at Jean’s question. The blonde looked him in the eyes before answering.

“...Both.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Shut up.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Armin walked back inside his house , expecting to see Eren and Mikasa somewhere in the living room finishing their conversation.

He wasn’t expecting Eren to be on his knees, his arm twisted behind his back by Mikasa’s tight grip. She noticed Armin and Jean re-enter the room, staring at their position. 

“So… is this how you two bond?” Jean questioned the two while smirking at Eren, who glared in response. 

Mikasa dropped her brother’s arm, causing his head to almost hit the floor if not for his other supporting arm.

“Armin, are you okay?” Mikasa stepped over Eren as she spoke, making him groan. The brunette looked up, watching his sister walk towards the blonde. Eren had to admit that Armin seemed calmer, and more content with their situation.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry I stormed out, that was immature.” Armin looked at Mikasa as he spoke, shifting his gaze to Eren. The blonde gave him a sheepish smile and tilted head, making Eren realize he was still on the ground.

He quickly stood up to face his friend, looking between him and Jean. He was suspicious of the latter, who kept his eyes on Mikasa. He looked back at the blonde, gesturing towards Jean. 

“You and horseface talked?” Jean glared at him for that.

“Yep.”

“...And you’re okay?”

“Couldn’t be better.” 

Eren kept his eyes on Armin, watching his body language. His friend wasn’t tense like he was on the way over here. His hands were playing with the hem of his shirt, a habit Armin’s had since they were young. He missed noticing little things like that.

“Forgive me?” Armin rolled his eyes at Eren’s question, putting his hands on his hips.

“I forgave you like, the second I got outside.”

Eren released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He stepped forward, gesturing for Armin to come to him. The blonde rolled his eyes, walking towards his friend and opening his arms.

Eren wrapped his arms around Armin’s neck, resting his cheek against his friend’s head. The blonde put his arm around his friend’s waist in response. Jean raised an eyebrow at their actions, and Eren rolled his eyes before whispering in Armin’s ear.

“I didn’t mean to get all crazy before, I just got scared, you know? I just…”

“I know.” Armin’s response was equally as quiet as he spoke into his friend’s shoulder.

The brunette tightened his grip, moving his hands to the center of Armin’s back. As he moved, the blonde drew back from the hug, a light blush on his face. Eren looked down at him, with a face once again concerned.

“What’s wrong? Is it your back?”

“Y-yeah, I was sitting outside and-”

“So I was right?” Eren turned to Mikasa and Jean, who were now standing next to each other. “I was right!” Armin rolled his eyes, watching as Eren walked towards the two.

“I told you! I knew there was something else!” The brunette turned, returning to where Armin stood. He grabbed the teen’s wrist, and began walking towards the hall. Armin, being forced to follow, looked back at their friends who were left in the living room. 

Mikasa and Jean could do nothing but watch the pair left, and Armin swore that Mikasa gave him a look of sympathy. Armin slowed his steps, pulling his wrist out of Eren’s grip.

“Dude, what’re you doing?” Eren stopped moving at his friend’s voice, and faced Armin. They were halfway down the hall, Mikasa and Jean out of view.

“I wanna see your back, and I’d rather die than let horseface see you shirtless.” As Eren spoke Armin rolled his eyes. As Eren gave him a deadpan expression Armin scoffed, and walked past the brunette heading towards his bedroom.

“My bad, that’s only for _you_ to see, right?” He opened his door, walking inside and turning on his desk lamp. His ceiling light was too bright to put on considering how dark it was outside.

“It’s a worthy sight to behold, what can I say?” Eren walked in behind him as he spoke, shutting the door. Armin turned around to meet the brunette’s eyes, giving him a downcasted look.

“Really? My ribcage is a _‘sight to behold’_?” At the blonde’s question Eren grabbed his own chin, looking him up and down. 

“Yeah, I mean…” He watched as Armin moved his blanket so they had room to sit on his bed. “...you’re like a sexy little toothpick.” Armin paused at Eren’s comment, glancing at his friend before shifting his gaze to the wall.

“I don’t think you’re worthy of my rib cage anymore.”

“I’m kidding, I’m _kidding_.” Eren quickly moved next to his friend, sitting on his bed. As Armin stood, the brunette tugged on the end of his shirt, catching his attention. “You’re not a toothpick.” Armin looked down at him, squinting his eyes.

“...Am I still sexy?”

“The sexiest man alive.” 

Armin snickered, looking away. Eren watched as his friend pulled off his shirt, tossing it on his desk chair. He grabbed Armin’s arm, making him sit with his back facing him. Eren set his hands on Armin’s shoulders before his eyes landed on the assumed injury.

“Woah! How the hell did you think this was _fine_?” Eren brought one of his hands to the center of Armin’s shoulder blades, the other pushing the blonde to hunch over.

Eren looked at the reddish purple blotch on Armin’s back, shifting the blonde’s body so it was clearer in the light. He put his hand next to it, slowly bringing it closer and applying pressure. He dragged his hand over the smooth skin until Armin jumped, attempting to hide the way he yelped at the pain it brought. Eren glared, unconsciously tightening his grip on Armin's shoulder.

“I’m gonna _kill_ that dickhead.” Eren’s tone made Armin sit up. He wasn’t expecting him to get angry again: at least not so soon. He began turning, attempting to see himself in his mirror.

“Come on, it’s probably not-” He landed on his reflection, not expecting any sort of mark on his body. “- _wow_ that’s a big bruise.”

He stared at his reflection; his twisting and turning didn’t stop Eren from keeping his hands on his back. He glanced at Eren in the mirror, and noticed how his friend wouldn’t stop staring at the discoloration. 

Eren looked angry, and Armin knew that his glare was mainly aimed at Floch. But he started to remember their previous conversation; when Armin _insisted_ he was fine when in reality he had a baseball sized bruise on his back. He didn’t want Eren to think that he intentionally lied to him about any of this.

Armin began to feel guilty, turning completely around and facing his friend. Eren’s hands fell, his eyes meeting Armin’s.

“Eren, I swear I didn’t know it was this bad.”

“It’s fine-”

“I didn’t even know it was a problem until I was against the railing outside a-and my back started to hurt! That’s when I was like ‘huh I guess there _is_ something wrong’-”

“Min-”

“so I came _right back_ inside because I knew you’d be mad-”

“ _Minnie._ ” 

Eren put his hands on the sides of Armin’s head, making the blonde stop talking and look at him. Eren stared at him for a moment, studying the blonde’s face.

“Minnie, I’m not mad at you.” He brought both their heads closer to each other. “I could never be mad at you with stuff like this, okay? Don’t be so stressed.” Armin shifted his gaze, staring at the floor with a blush on his face.

As Eren held his friend’s head in his hands, he continued looking at his face. He could tell Armin was thinking about something else. 

“What’s wrong?” Eren’s question came out quieter than expected, and Armin was glad to hear his friend’s voice becoming softer.

“It’s just…” He returned his gaze to Eren, who raised his eyebrows as a gesture for him to continue. Armin rested his cheek in one of Eren’s hands, looking off to the side. He liked being this close to Eren; it made him comfortable to speak his mind.

“Look, I know situations like this are hard to deal with, especially since last year.” Eren dropped his other hand and held Armin’s, trying his best to remain comforting despite the atrocious memory. “But I never get the chance to thank you.” Eren raised an eyebrow, tilting his head.

“What do you mean, Min?” Armin’s face got redder at the question, but despite his appearance he wasn’t as embarrassed as he thought he’d be.

“You help me out a _lot_ , and sometimes I depend on you more than I want to admit.” Armin smiled as he spoke, but it was small and shy.

“So… I just wanted to say thanks for always being- _woah_.” 

Armin was cut off by Eren tackling him down onto his bed. His forearms trapped the blonde’s head against the mattress, causing Armin’s eyes to be forced to stay on his ceiling.

“Eren what’re you-”

“ _Don’t._ ” Eren’s head was below the blonde’s, and Armin couldn’t tell what Eren was doing or thinking. He heard how the brunette’s voice cracked when he spoke, and Armin could tell he was becoming emotional.

“Don’t start thanking me for stuff like that.” Eren sounded more frustrated than upset. Armin fell silent for a moment before speaking up again.

“But I’m thankful for it… I’m thankful for _you_.”

Eren didn’t know how to respond, and chose to stay quiet. They laid in this position for a few moments, Eren swallowing a lump in his throat. Armin could feel the material of Eren’s hoodie on his chest and on his stomach, and he could feel Eren breathing on his neck.

Suddenly Eren began to push his head up, and before Armin knew it his lips were connected with the brunette’s. His eyes widened slightly, before closing and melting into the kiss.

This wasn’t the first time they’ve kissed, and this wasn’t the first time Eren has gotten on top of the blonde in such a passionate manner. But it always surprised Armin whenever Eren decided to start making out with him; more often than not it was random and spontaneous, not fitting the moment.

Eren began to move his lips and deepen the kiss, bringing one hand up and grabbing the side of the blonde’s head. Armin moved his hands up as well, grabbing the sides of Eren’s hoodie. He pulled the material down, making Eren rest his body directly on top of his own.

The blonde let the slightest bit of tongue enter the kiss, and Eren followed suit. Not too long ago they both realized that they could only tolerate a certain amount of tongue before the kisses became too much. 

Armin felt Eren move his body down, and the brunette began to kiss the side of Armin’s face. His cheeks, his jaw; working his way down the blonde’s heated neck.

When Eren lingered on the skin right above Armin’s collar bone, Armin felt him bite down and suck on the flesh.

When Armin felt himself become light headed, he tapped on Eren’s shoulder.

“...Eren…” Jeez, he didn’t think he’d sound so out of breath. 

The brunette immediately lifted his head, his eyes meeting Armin’s. Eren’s pupils were blown wide, his face pink and hair messy.

“You okay?” Eren lifted himself up with his arm as he questioned the blonde, wanting to give him space.

“I’m fine… but Mikasa and Jean…” Armin’s eyes glanced at his door, seeing the hallway lights sneak in underneath the doorway. “They’re still in the other room.”

Eren looked back at the door as well, taking his hand off of Armin’s head and using both arms to push himself up. He guessed it _was_ starting to become suspicious that they were in here for so long.

He mumbled a ‘dammit’ before pushing himself up, climbing onto the empty space next to Armin. He fully sat up, looking down at Armin’s half naked body. His eyes were pulled to the hickey located above the blonde’s collar bone.

“Damn, you bruise easy.” Armin let out an airy scoff, slowly pushing himself up with his own arms.

“You couldn’t tell by my back?”

“Well I just wanted to see if it was _only_ your back.”

“How courteous.” 

Eren watched as Armin stood up from his bed, rolling his shoulders. Armin looked at the shirt he discarded onto his chair, eyeing the clothing. He turned back to Eren, who had the audacity to be fully clothed. Armin kept his eyes on Eren’s hoodie before meeting the brunette’s eyes.

“You want my hoodie, don’t you?”

“Don’t make me say it out loud.” Eren rolled his eyes, standing up from the blonde’s bed.

He pulled off the clothing in a single motion handing it to Armin. He watched his friend put the hoodie over his head, situating himself with the material. Eren looked at the blonde’s collar bone, noticing how the clothing covered the purposely placed bruise.

“Ya know, I’m surprised.” Armin’s voice made Eren look at him, confused by his words.

“Surprised about what?” Eren began to walk towards the door, his hand reaching for the knob.

“That you let Jean be alone with Mikasa for this long.”

Armin watched as Eren processed what he said, before throwing the door open and running into the living room. He giggled, looking at the digital clock that sat on his desk.

Jeez, it was already 7:30. His grandpa would be home around 8:30; so at least he had an hour to deal with the rest of their situation.

“I’m gonna break your neck, _horseface_!”

“Yeager get the hell away from me!”

“Eren, _stop it_ , you’re gonna knock something over!”

Rephrase; he _only_ he had an hour to deal with the rest of their situation.

  
  
  


**_To be cocntinued…_ **

**_2/3_ **

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was my first time writing a kissing scene and i think i've awoken something in me. this was a pretty long chapter so if you got through lal of it i hope you enjoyed :). i have two ideas for how this little book should end but i think one of those ideas will serve as a separate story.
> 
> all feedback and requests are accepted!! i hope you have a good day :D


	3. The Last of Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> final chapter! (so proud of myself bc it's the longest i've ever written haha)
> 
> eren had a rough school day; another issue with jean and floch what a surprise. breakdowns happen, eren and armin have a moment that involves a lot of kissing and neck biting. 
> 
> bad summary i'm so sorry lol 
> 
> also sorry i keep torturing eremin in this book, it's over... for now lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eren grabbed Floch’s collar, and before Jean could blink he saw Eren throw the boy down, pinning the red-head against the tiled floor. His knees were on the opposite sides of Floch’s body, his hands still gripped onto the teen’s shirt.
> 
> Eren took one of his hands off the teen’s shirt and slammed it into Floch’s face once more, and Jean couldn’t ignore the red he saw on the brunette’s fist. 
> 
> He watched as Eren caught his own breath, before punching the red-head’s face for the third time. Jean was frozen, his eyes unable to leave Floch’s face.

…

  
  
  


The rest of that night had gone about as smoothly as expected; meaning that Armin and Mikasa had to physically hold Eren back from turning Jean into a human pretzel.

By some God-given miracle, Armin was able to get the three out of his house with only minor injuries. While Mikasa dragged her brother out the front door, the blonde promised his friend that he’d be over in the morning before school the next day.

Armin mostly made that promise in hopes of getting some of Carla’s homemade belgian waffles for breakfast. Although the chances were slim, they were never zero.

With only Jean left in his house, Armin promised his friend that they’d have an  _ actual  _ study session sometime that week. He remembered watching Jean gather his belongings and walk out the front door when they were finishing their conversation.

_ “Does Eren have to be there?” _

Armin remembered rolling his eyes at Jean’s question, assuming Jean only said that to make fun of him.

_ “Not unless you want him to be.” _

_ “In that case, I can’t wait to study!” _

His grandfather got home shortly after Jean left, too tired to have a real conversation with the blonde. The feeling was mutual- Armin can only handle a certain amount of drama in a twenty four hour period before crashing for the night.

He said a prayer before falling asleep, hoping for a good breakfast the next morning.

* * *

  
  
  


When Armin opened the Yeager household’s door, he was met with his friend’s father putting on his shoes. His hand tightened the grip it had on his backpack, not expecting to see Grisha.

“Ah, Mr. Arlert! Good morning!” He finished putting on his boots, standing up and grabbing his jacket from a nailed hook on the wall.

“Goodmorning, Sir.” Armin learned a long time ago that Eren’s father, despite knowing the blonde since he was in kindergarten, always kept their interactions as formal and professional as possible.

Armin liked Eren’s dad don’t get him wrong; the man has bandaged more of his cuts and bruises than he could count. But Grisha never tried to get too familiar or too friendly with him, so Armin took the safe route and decided not to be a bother.

He watched as Grisha wordlessly walked past him, leaving Armin in the doorway as he walked towards his car.

He liked Eren’s dad, but he could at least  _ try  _ to act like they’ve known each other for more than five minutes

Armin continued his way into the house, closing the front door behind him and making his way to the kitchen. When he spotted Eren’s mom near the countertop, he knocked on the wall next to him. Carla looked up at the noise, and smiled at the blonde when she recognized who he was.

“Armin! Sweetie come here!” Thank  _ God  _ Eren’s mom was the complete opposite of her husband. If anyone knew how to make a person feel welcome, it was Carla Yeager.

Armin smiled as he walked towards her, immediately being pulled into a hug that he reciprocated. Any morning depression the blonde had was gone in an instant.

“I haven’t seen you in so long! How’s your grandfather?” Armin let out a light laugh; he hadn’t been over the Yeager house in about two weeks, but according to Carla that seemed like two years.

“He’s good! He’s been going out a lot more.” Carla released her hold on him, turning back to the counter. Armin peered over her shoulder, upset at the lack of belgian waffle batter. He did, however, notice the toast she was preparing.

“Well that’s nice. If you ever get lonely you know the door is always open!” Armin couldn’t begin to vocalize how much he loved Eren’s mom. She was practically  _ his  _ mom at this point, and he could never thank her enough.

She turned back around, handing him a piece of buttered toast. It wasn’t belgian waffles, but he supposed it would have to do. He mumbled a ‘oh, thank you’ before taking a bite into the bread.

He watched as Carla put two plates on the kitchen table, both having toast and fruit on them. She gestured for him to sit down, so Armin put his bag down and pulled out a chair where she hadn’t put a plate. He’ll just steal some of Eren’s breakfast later. 

“Eren! Mikasa! Breakfast is ready and Armin’s here, come downstairs!” 

When he heard footsteps coming from the staircase, he turned to see Mikasa coming down and heading towards the kitchen table. She was already dressed for the day, and Armin would bet a hundred bucks that Eren was still in his pajamas; assuming he decided to wear them that night.

“Morning Armin, was the walk okay?” She sat down across from him as she spoke, thanking Carla as she set down three glasses of water. He watched her walk away, taking a bite of his toast before responding.

“Morning! Yeah it was fine. I caught Grisha at the door when I came in.” She nodded, eating an apple slice. He was about to continue speaking to Mikasa when he heard Carla grunt, putting her hands on her hips and turning towards the staircase.

“Eren! Come down here!” She called for him the second time that morning, and Armin peered at the staircase in hopes his friend would be coming down them.

The three of them paused, waiting for a response or footsteps to be heard. After a brief moment of silence, Armin rolled his eyes and stood up, putting the other half of his toast on Eren’s plate.

“I’ll go get him, Carla.”

“Thank you, sweetie.” 

Armin walked up the staircase and headed towards Eren’s door. It was open, which surprised him enough to halt his steps. Was Eren out of bed already? 

He heard a door open behind him, and he turned to see Eren in the middle of brushing his teeth down the hall, standing in the bathroom. He tried to ignore that his best friend was wearing nothing but boxers and socks, and focused on the brunette’s bedhead instead.

“Minnie-” Eren spat into the sink, looking back up. “-you’re here already?” He kept the bathroom door open as he gargled water and spat into the sink once more. He wiped his mouth with a towel before putting away his toothbrush.

“Yeah, I got here around seven.” As Armin spoke Eren shut off the bathroom light and walked towards the blonde. He looked down at him before ruffling his friend’s hair, ignoring the blonde’s protests as he made his way into his bedroom.

“You know, just because your hair is a mess doesn’t mean  _ mine _ has to be.” Armin followed him, grumbling as he combed his hands through his hair in an attempt to fix it. He heard Eren scoff, and watched as he began to put on a pair of jeans.

“Just hand me my hairbrush, Min.” Armin rolled his eyes but did as Eren said, tossing it to him as he finished putting on his pants. Eren brushed through his hair, standing in front of his full-body mirror. Armin took a moment to look around Eren’s room, noticing the large piles of clothes and wrappers laying around.

Carla was gonna kill him.

“Deodorant.” Eren didn’t look back as he spoke, and wasn’t able to see how Armin rolled his eyes before handing the requested item to his friend. He tossed his hairbrush on his bed as he continued to get ready, and Armin took the liberty of picking it up and putting it back on Eren’s desk.

They remained silent once more, and this time Armin decided to look at his friend’s computer which had been recently installed. Eren got it for his 17th birthday earlier that year, and Armin had to admit that he was just as excited- if not  _ more  _ excited than Eren was. His own birthday was coming up next month, and all he wants for his birthday is for Eren to let him download some coding programs and adobe products onto his desktop.

“Dammit, my shirt shrunk again.” Armin’s thoughts were interrupted by Eren, who was complaining as he held up one of his long sleeved shirts. The blonde crossed his arms, throwing a light glare at his friend. 

“A  _ ‘goodmorning’ _ would be nice.” Armin feigned annoyance, and watched as Eren looked up at him while placing his shirt on his open drawer to hang. 

He raised a questioning eyebrow at the blonde before processing what he said. He started smiling, and slowly walked over to where Armin stood near his door. The blonde took a step back, cringing at Eren’s shirtless self approaching him.

“Aww, Minnie~” 

“Eren, I was joking, don't come here.”

“It’s too late, it’s already in motion.”

Armin cringed harder as Eren wrapped his arms around him, hugging him tight. He wound up pushing the blonde against the door, shutting it closed. He would’ve reciprocated the hug if it wasn’t for the lack of clothes on his friend. 

“Good morning, Armin~” Eren sang in a childish tone, slightly swaying as he continued to hug his friend. Eventually the blonde couldn’t hold back his smile, and pushed Eren away while giggling.

“Whatever, man. Get dressed before your mom comes up here and kills you.” Eren snickered, before looking down at Armin’s clothes. He noticed something that might concern the blonde.

“Is that my shirt?” Armin looked down, pulling at the hem of clothing Eren was questioning.

“I think so, why?”

“It’s too big on you.” Armin raised an eyebrow at Eren’s remark.

“So? I always wear big shirts.”

“Not today you don’t.”

Eren pulled his friend by his arm, making him stand in front of his full body mirror. Armin sent him a questioning look but complied with his friend’s actions. Eren kept one hand on the blonde’s shoulder while the other hooked around to point at Armin’s collar bone- more specifically right  _ above _ it.

Armin’s eyes widened as his smile was wiped off his face, staring at his reflection. He could clearly see the hickey Eren left on his body from the night prior; he almost passed out on the spot.

“Personally, I think it looks _hot_ , but-”

“Oh my God- Eren your  _ parents _ saw me! Why didn’t Mikasa say anything?!” Armin turned and looked back and forth between Eren and his reflection. He groaned, running a hand through his hair out of stress.

“It’s okay Min, they probably didn’t see anything. My mom would’ve freaked out if she did.” Eren walked back to his drawer, and quickly picked up the shirt he was previously holding. He turned to his friend and gestured towards their shirts.

“Just switch with me.” Armin looked down at the shirt Eren was holding before nodding.

He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it towards his friend, who in return threw the smaller shirt his way. He put it on as soon as caught it, adjusting himself in the mirror with a sigh.

At least this shirt covered the mark. He had no idea what he would’ve done if he was caught walking around school with a hickey, especially with it on full display. Connie and Sasha would’ve  _ never _ let it go.

He turned and saw Eren already having his shirt on, smoothing out his hair with his hand. Armin was surprised that the shirt fit Eren damn near perfect- he expected it to be somewhat tight considering that Eren usually gave him his shirts when they stopped fitting him.

The brunette grabbed his phone and backpack, making his way towards his bedroom door. 

“See? Problem solved.” Eren finished his sentence by walking up to his friend, ruffling Armin’s hair again. The blonde began to slap his hands away while yelling at his attacker.

“Stop doing that!”

“But you look so  _ cute  _ with your hair all-”

“Shut up!”

Armin threw the door open, running down the staircase to escape from Eren’s hands. He made his way to Mikasa, who watched as Eren followed the blonde into the kitchen.

“Your brother is the  _ worst _ , you know that?” Armin reached over and grabbed his unfinished piece of toast as he spoke to Mikasa. He walked towards his previously discarded bag, picking it up off the floor and putting it over his shoulder while continuing to eat.

Eren walked towards the table and grabbed his own piece of toast, leaning against the kitchen’s countertop. He took a bite of his breakfast and swallowed, before putting a smug look on his face.

“ _ I’m  _ the worst? Funny, because that’s not what you were saying last night-”

“Eren shut the  _ hell _ up-”

“Armin did you change your shirt?” Mikasa interrupted their heated words, eyeing Armin’s clothes. He looked down and blushed, adjusting his bag on his shoulder.

“N-no…” He heard Eren snicker as he mumbled, and Armin sent him the angriest glare he could muster. Eren winked at him, causing the blonde to groan and roll his eyes, looking out the kitchen window.

Eren snickered while continuing to eat. He looked around the kitchen before raising a questioning eyebrow. He turned to Mikasa, who stood up to put her plate in the sink.

“Where’s Mom?” He shoved the last of his toast in his mouth after he spoke, watching his sister move around the kitchen.

“She went to take a shower after Armin went to get you.” Mikasa headed towards the stairs before she continued to speak. “School starts soon, so we should start leaving.” She walked up the stairs and went to her bedroom, where Armin assumed she was getting her bag.

Armin took his phone out of his pocket to check the time. She was right, it was already 7:15 and the walk to school from Eren’s house was about ten minutes. Hopefully they’d make it there before 7:30.

Eren watched Armin put his phone away, finishing his last bite of toast. He noticed how Armin kept his bag on one shoulder instead of both; no doubt a change due to yesterday’s events. Eren set his jaw, adjusting his own bag over his shoulder and walking towards his friend.

“I got your bag, Min.” Armin looked up, watching as Eren gestured for him to hand over his bag. Armin shook his head, waving at Eren’s gesture.

“It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt if I put it on one shoulder.” Eren eyed his friend carefully, taking note of any small movements the blonde made.

He remembered the conversation they had the night before- well the conversation Armin  _ tried  _ to have before Eren decided he wanted to have a makeout session. If Armin understood his side, he should probably be a little more trusting with the blonde, right?

“You promise you’ll tell me if it starts bugging you?”

“I promise.” Armin gave him a sheepish smile, making Eren’s shoulders relaxed.

Footsteps could be heard across the room, and the boys watched Mikasa come down the staircase with her bag slung over her shoulders. 

“You guys ready?” They nodded, walking towards the front door as she followed. 

Eren quickly stepped into the pair of shoes he left near the door, opening the door for Armin and Mikasa before locking it behind him.

Hopefully the school day would go by quickly.

* * *

  
  
  


The school day did  _ not  _ go by quickly. Eren’s classes seemed to never end as he nodded off in almost every one.

When the final bell rang he was beyond thrilled, and he quickly gathered his belongings that were scattered on his desk. He cursed Mikasa for forcing him to carry dozens of pencils and pens; he only needed  _ one _ .

He made his way out of his history class and entered the hallway, not surprised by the rush of students that made their way towards the school’s exit. Oh how he wished he could follow them.

Football practice wouldn’t allow it for another month and a half. By that time it would start snowing, meaning Armin’s grandpa would be making his special hot chocolate. He couldn’t wait for December.

He kept walking and eventually turned, making his way towards the locker rooms. It’s not that he didn’t like practice- football was something the brunette very much enjoyed. But it took time away from his scheduled ‘lay down and do nothing’ appointment. To reiterate; he couldn’t wait for December.

He entered the locker room, nodding towards the other boys that were inside. As he put his bag down and opened his locker he heard his friends behind him.

“I’m serious, Marco. He  _ hates  _ me.” Eren turned, seeing Connie and Marco walking towards their own lockers.

“Connie, you’re only saying that because you failed this quarter.”

“Exactly! Why do you think I failed?!”

“Because you don’t pay attention! You even slept  _ during  _ the test!” Eren watched as Connie rolled his eyes at Marco’s answer, taking off his jacket. Marco quickly took off his own shirt, slipping on his jersey.

He almost felt bad for Marco, he was one of the few people who  _ actually  _ tried to help his friends with their education. But Connie was the exact opposite, not caring about his friends’ or his  _ own  _ education.

“Whatever.” Connie’s eyes eventually landed on Eren. “Eren! What’s up, dude?” The brunette smiled, crossing his arms.

“Nothing much. You had a bad day?” Connie’s face twitched, and he put on his own jersey before answering.

“It was fine until Ackerman  _ failed  _ me. I swear, he’s just mad because I called him short.” Eren snickered at Connie’s response, shaking his head. He began to take his water bottle out of his bag before he heard Marco speak.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be insulting your teachers! Take the time to study instead.” Marco put his hand on Connie’s shoulder as he finished speaking, trying to get his friend to listen to him. Eren began to drink his water, watching the scene take place.

“The only thing I’m gonna take the time to do is your  _ mom _ .”

Marco deadpanned, taking his hand off his friend’s shoulder and slapping the back of Connie’s head. Eren almost choked on his water, putting the bottle back into his bag.

“That’s the  _ last _ time I try to help you.” Marco began to walk out of the locker room as he finished.

Eren began to laugh, watching as Connie rubbed the back of his head. When the door shut behind Marco, the brunette turned to his shorter friend.

“Con, I think you lost your last chance of graduating.” Connie put a hand on his chest, giving Eren a hurt expression.

“Your lack of faith just  _ crushed  _ my soul.” As Connie spoke Eren rolled his eyes, putting his hands on his hips. 

“It’s not my fault you’re-”

Eren was interrupted by the door being slammed open. Heads turned towards the noise, and Eren spotted Marco re enter the room. He looked worried, his shoulders wide as he kept the door open with his hand.

“Guys! Guys come out here  _ now _ .” He got the attention of everyone in the locker room, but Marco kept his eyes on Eren and Connie. The shorter teen took a step forward, narrowing his eyebrows at his friend.

“What the hell are you talking about? Practice doesn’t start until-”

“It’s  _ Floch _ . Him and Jean are fighting again!”

Eren wasted no time walking up to Marco, a glare on his face as he grabbed the teen’s collar.

“Is Armin there?” Eren pulled on Marco’s collar as he spoke, his voice louder than anticipated. His eyes met Marco’s, making the teen more nervous than before.

“I-I didn’t get the chance to see. Jean is-”

Eren pushed Marco out of the way, interrupting him. He began taking long strides out of the doorway and into the hall, a glare remaining on his face. 

Marco’s indefinite answer about Armin made him beyond anxious, and the only thing he could think about was getting the blonde out of Floch’s sight. He didn’t know how to factor Jean into the situation, but as long as he wasn’t hurting Armin he was temporarily off the hook.

He didn’t have to look around for too long; he could hear their shouting and grunting from a mile away. He turned the corner, and his eyes fell on the two teens in question, Jean having Floch pinned against the lockers. 

Eren didn’t see Armin anywhere, which brought him some relief. However, he still walked up towards the two; Eren had a feeling that their fight involved the blonde in  _ some  _ way.

“What the  _ fuck  _ is going on?!” Eren’s yelling caught the attention of the other boys, both of their heads turning at the sound of the brunette’s voice. Eren watched Jean put on a fake smirk, grabbing Floch’s collar and making him turn towards him.

“This  _ asshole _ -” Jean shook Floch in his arms, turning back towards Eren. “-thought it’d be  _ cute _ to start something with me.” Floch glared at Jean’s words, putting his hands over his attacker’s.

“I didn’t do anything to you, asshat. It’s not my fault you got in the way.” Eren watched as Jean seemed to snap, shoving Floch against the lockers. Floch’s head banged against the metal, but Jean couldn’t seem to care less.

“ _ I  _ got in the way?! Don’t put your hands on him  _ again _ , you understand?” As Jean spoke Eren’s eyebrows narrowed. He had a feeling he knew who ‘ _ him _ ’ was. He walked closer to the pair, grabbing Jean’s upper-arm. 

“Did something happen with Armin?” Eren shifted eyes between Jean and Floch, unsure of the situation. He could feel himself snapping similar to Jean, his voice becoming aggressive.

“He was messing with him all period, and pushed the kid  _ into  _ me because of yesterday.” Jean seemed to twitch at the memory, tightening his grip on Floch’s collar. Eren turned towards the red-head, and saw the way the teen flinched at his expression.

“L-look, man. I was just messin’ around.” Eren could only feel the rage pour through himself like hot lava; not caring for Floch’s words. Jean kept his grip on the teen while keeping his eyes on Eren, waiting for him to make the next move.

Eren continued to stare at Floch, burning holes into his head. He couldn’t control the way his mind worked, and he felt himself being taken over by his anger. His brain kept reminding him about the past experiences similar to this. He was forced to remember how Armin’s had issues with people like Floch; he was  _ done  _ with people like Floch.

The hall was quiet, only Floch’s heavy breathing being heard, The staring match between the three continued for what seemed like hours, making the red-head sweat.

“I-it’s not that big of a-”

In a moment, Eren shoved Jean with an exorbitant amount of strength, making it so Floch was directly in front of him. The teen stumbled, catching his own fall before glaring at the brunette.

“Dude, what the hell-”

Jean cut himself off, watching Eren reach his breaking point. Eren punched Floch in the face,  _ hard _ . The teen’s head was whipped to the side, and his eyes were blinking rapidly. Jean could only stand by and watch, not expecting the situation to become so violent.

Eren grabbed Floch’s collar, and before Jean could blink he saw Eren throw the boy down, pinning the red-head against the tiled floor. His knees were on the opposite sides of Floch’s body, his hands still gripped onto the teen’s shirt.

Eren took one of his hands off the teen’s shirt and slammed it into Floch’s face once more, and Jean couldn’t ignore the red he saw on the brunette’s fist. 

He watched as Eren caught his own breath, before punching the red-head’s face for the third time. Jean was frozen, his eyes unable to leave Floch’s face.

Floch had one eye closed, the left side of his face bright red and beaten. It had already suffered damage from yesterday; no doubt thanks to Jean. But adding both yesterday’s  _ and  _ today’s events together, Jean was surprised that Floch was still breathing out of mouth and nose properly.

_ He hasn’t gotten physical with me in a while; not since middle school or freshman year. I hate when things get physical. _

_ To be honest, I was surprised you got so violent. _

How the  _ fuck  _ was Armin best friends with this maniac?!

Jean found the strength to move his eyes away from the scene, and looked towards the end of the hall. He could hear shoe’s squeaking and loud breaths, and before he knew it his eyes were met with two other pairs; he saw Connie and Marco running towards the situation.

Connie and Marco halted their steps as they saw the teens who were on the floor. Their eyes widened, watching Eren land another blow onto Floch’s battered face. They stood still, and Marco looked up to meet Jean’s eyes. They stared at each other for a brief moment before they looked back at the fight.

Marco shook his head and sprinted towards the pair, Connie following after him. The freckled teen ran over just in time; Eren’s clenched fist was in the air to get ready for another punch.

He put his arms underneath Eren’s armpits, holding the boy back. When he attempted to drag him away, Eren thrashed against the grip.

“Get the  _ fuck  _ off of me! I’m not done!” Eren's voice sounded like gravel; Marco was surprised he had so much energy despite sounding so tired. He watched as Connie ran around them, pushing Eren’s chest while stepping over Floch’s body; Marco noticed how it remained still.

“Eren, he’s not  _ moving _ ! You’re  _ done _ .” Marco had to use almost all of his strength as he continued pulling Eren from his prey. The brunette continued to throttle around until he took a moment to look at Floch; more specifically his face.

He had to admit he was glad it was pummeled. His own lack of sympathy wasn’t something that concerned him anymore; not in situations like this. His mind was still locked onto his memories, his memories of having to do this before. He remembered Armin’s face, his body. He remembered his opponents hands, how they grabbed and punched wherever they pleased. He remembered how scared he was, how  _ angry  _ he was. He remembered-

“... en… Eren… Eren! Dude?! What the hell is going on?!” Eren’s thoughts were interrupted, and he looked up to see Connie’s face directly in front of his.

He was still trapped in Marco’s grip; his lack of fighting must have worried the two. Him and Marco were both seated on the floor, Eren’s back leaning against the teen’s chest.

He looked around Connie’s head, and he watched as Jean made his way towards the three of them. He looked distant, and his eyes were locked onto Eren’s hands.

“Holy shit, man. Remind me to never piss you off.” Jean wouldn’t admit his fright, but he would admit that Eren was a better fighter than he originally thought. How the hell was he getting overpowered by Mikasa the other night?

Eren scoffed, locking his jaw and continued to look at Floch. He saw the teen’s chest rise and fall, his fingers twitching against the cold tiled floor. He wanted Floch  _ dead _ , but he knew there was no way the others would let that happen.

Eventually, Marco began to sit up as he pulled Eren with him. Eren let himself be manhandled for a few moments, before turning towards Jean. He was standing now, and he watched as Jean shifted his gaze from his hands to Floch’s body. 

“Do you know where Armin went? After class?” He was tired, and his voice didn’t hide that fact. His breathing was heavy, and he felt Marco let go of him as he began to calm down. Jean looked up, meeting Eren’s eyes.

“I’m pretty sure he went home, why?”

“I need- I need to see him.” Eren ran his hands through his hair as he spoke, attempting to control his breaths. He couldn’t stop thinking about last year. He needed to see Armin.

He began walking away from the group, not caring about Floch’s limp body that he left on the floor. He made his way down the hall, walking towards the school’s exit. His shoulders ached, his hands felt like they were on fire.

“Dude! What about your bag? And practice?!” He heard Connie’s shouting but he chose to ignore him; opting not to answer. He quickened his pace as he got closer to the exit’s doors.

He’d get his bag tomorrow morning; he couldn’t care less about missing practice. 

Armin was more important than all of that.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


When Armin heard someone aggressively bang on his front door, he almost dropped the glass of water he was holding. He grunted, putting the cup down on the table and began leaving the kitchen. Why was someone at his door, let alone knocking on it so hard?

As he made his way to the front door he glanced at the window, his steps temporarily stopping once he recognized who his ‘mystery visitor’ was.

Why the hell was Eren here? Didn’t he have football practice?

He got to the door, slowly opening it so he could give himself time to look over Eren’s body. As he began to speak he could already tell something serious happened.

“Are you okay? Did something happen at-” 

Armin was cut off by Eren running directly into him, his arms wrapping around the blonde’s waist with a tight grip. Armin took a moment to breath, feeling Eren try to come as close as possible.

Eren dropped his head down into Armin’s neck, and the blonde could feel his friend shaking uncontrollably. He took his own arms and hugged Eren around his neck, hoping it would comfort him in some way.

It wasn’t until he heard Eren begin to cry that he realized how serious this was.

He attempted to pull back from the hug, wanting to look at Eren’s face. But the brunette responded by making his grip impossibly tighter, and the blonde could feel his neck becoming wet.

“Eren?” 

He waited, and didn’t get a response. He began to rub the back of the brunette’s head, his other hand rubbing the top of his back. Eren sniffled, and after a few moments he reciprocated the blonde’s actions by rubbing his thumbs along Armin’s sides.

Armin moved his head closer to Eren’s, his lips whispering in the brunette’s ears.

“Wanna talk about it?”

He felt Eren shrug against him, clearly not wanting to use his words. Armin put a gentle kiss on Eren’s cheek, continuing to message his friend’s back. 

“It’s okay, we can-”

“I wanna go to your room. I want- I wanna lay down.” Eren’s request made Armin’s eyebrows raise. His voice was muffled, but he could hear how upset his friend was. He was confused, but his confusion was overpowered by his concern. He nodded his head, slowly loosening his grip on his friend.

“Okay, that’s okay. We can do that.” Armin kept his voice soft, and wasted no time heading towards his room. He felt Eren’s steps behind him; they were heavy, and so close to Armin that they might as well be his own.

Armin opened his door, his lights already turned on. He let Eren walk inside and make his way towards his bed. The blonde turned and closed the door behind him. Nobody was home, but it didn’t hurt to take precautions.

He looked towards Eren, who was already sitting against his pillows and headboard. He chose not criticize how Eren put his shoes on his bed; to be honest that was the last of his concerns. 

What concerned him was Eren’s hands; his knuckles were red and scraped, and they were shaking.

Eren was wiping his face with his arm, trying to get the tears off of his face. He took a deep breathe in, keeping his head in his hand as he exhaled. From the corner of his eye he saw Armin walk towards him. He kept his eyes down as the blonde began to run his hands through Eren’s hair before speaking.

“I’m gonna get you some water-” Armin cut himself off when Eren grabbed his wrist, almost pulling him down.

“Don’t go! Just…” Eren’s hair was covering most of his face, but Armin could tell he was blushing. “Come here.” Eren’s voice was quiet, but his actions were louder.

Armin let the brunette put his hands on his waist, twisting him around and maneuvering him. He felt himself being pulled into Eren’s lap, his legs dangling off the side of his bed. His hands held the brunette’s shoulders in an attempt to balance himself, unsure of what Eren was doing.

He blushed when Eren took his hand and grabbed his chin, pulling his face towards his. Their lips connected, and Armin would’ve pulled back from shock if Eren’s grip wasn’t so tight. 

Eren was breaking down only a few seconds ago, and he wants to make out  _ now _ ? Like Armin realized the day before; Eren always chose the weirdest time to kiss him.

Armin let himself melt into the kiss as Eren’s grip became looser, his eyes beginning to close. Armin took one of his hands and held the side of Eren’s face, and felt the brunette pull him closer by his waist.

When Eren added tongue into the kiss Armin pulled back, making the brunette whine. The blonde took both hands and placed them on the sides of Eren’s head. His grip wasn’t strong, but tight enough to get Eren’s attention.

“Tell me what happened today.” Eren put a light glare on his face, his hands tightening around the blonde.

“I just wanted to see you, okay?” His tone was snippy, but the blonde knew better than to fall for that act. Armin had to force Eren’s head back, as the brunette attempted to kiss him again. 

“You were crying when you got in; tell me what happened right  _ now _ .” Armin wasn’t yelling but his voice was firm, and he waited for Eren to respond.

Eren shifted his gaze down to his lap, looking at Armin’s thighs. The blonde’s eyes were too sharp to look at, and Eren didn’t know how to start the conversation without upsetting his friend.

The blonde waited, watching Eren’s face. After a few moments of silence passed Armin sighed, taking his hands off of Eren’s head.

This caught the brunette’s attention, as his eyes widened while looking up at the blonde. Armin blushed, putting his hands on Eren’s shoulders before speaking.

“I’m not leaving, just… hold on.” Eren was confused but stayed silent, watching Armin’s face turn red. He raised an eyebrow, loosening his grip on the blonde’s waist.

Armin lifted himself off of Eren’s lap for a moment, before swinging his leg around sitting back down. Eren’s grip on his waist tightened as the brunette realized what Armin was doing.

Armin was straddling him. This was a new position. Probably his new  _ favorite  _ position.

Armin kept his eyes looking down, his bangs lowered in an attempt to hide how flushed he was.

“I-it was getting uncomfortable sitting like that.”

Eren took a moment to process what Armin said, before taking a hand off his waist and putting it on the blonde’s nape. He pulled Armin down for another kiss, this time starting with tongue.

Armin’s eyes fluttered closed as he kissed him back, his arms hugging the brunette’s neck. Eren was moving impatiently, and Armin couldn’t ignore how rough he was being kissed and held.

He felt Eren bite his lip; he tried his best to lower the whimper that left his throat.  _ That  _ was new.

“E-Eren…” Armin pulled an inch away from his friend’s lips, keeping his eyes closed as he rested his forehead against Eren’s.

“Too much?” Eren sounded out of breath and Armin wasn’t surprised; he’s never made out with him this urgently before.

“N-no it was  _ great _ , but…” Armin moved his head, leaning his forehead against Eren’s shoulder. He wanted Eren to be close. “You have to tell me what happened today.  _ Please _ , Eren.”

Eren never thought he’d have Armin in his lap being fully flushed and wound up;  _ begging _ . 

“It’s gonna make you upset.” Eren leaned his head against Armin’s, his hands rubbing the back of Armin’s neck.

“It’s making me more upset that you’re not telling me anything.” Eren cringed at Armin’s response, knowing his friend was right.

“...Fine.” Eren sat up a bit, making Armin sit up as well. They kept their grips tight as Eren began to speak.

“Before practice, Marco found Jean and Floch fighting.” He felt Armin tense as he finished his first sentence, and Eren knew he had to continue before the blonde started asking questions.

“I got there and Jean told me that Floch had been messing with you like- a  _ lot _ . I just lost it, I…” Eren breathed before finishing his sentence. “I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that happened with you last year, and Floch kept reminding me of that guy and-” Eren felt himself getting angry, his grip in Armin’s nape tightening. “-I wanted to kill him. If Marco hadn’t stopped me I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

Armin didn’t know how to respond. He couldn’t think of anything to say. 

“So I skipped practice and ran here. I needed to see you. I needed you to be okay, I don’t know.”

Armin put his hand over his mouth as his eyes were starting to sting. He didn’t want to start crying, Eren had already gone through enough.

“I know I lost my temper,  _ again _ . I’m sorry, but I couldn’t let Floch off the hook like yesterday.”

The blonde was shaking now, and he was biting his hand in an attempt to block any noise he was making.

“Armin, please don’t be mad at me… or  _ sad  _ at me- I don’t know.” He paused, and when he didn’t hear Armin say anything he began to worry. “Armin, come  _ on _ , I’m really sorry I lost it again!” Armin still remained silent. “Please say something, Minnie.”

When he felt Armin flinch, he pulled away from his head and grabbed his friend’s face. Eren felt like his heart broke; Armin was in tears, barely able to speak.

“I- I’m sorry…” Armin was full blown crying, his hands trying to wipe his own face. Armin’s throat felt clogged and heavy, holding back a sob.

Eren became  _ very  _ confused, his hands letting go of Armin’s face and moving towards his back.

“Minnie…” Eren kissed his cheek, holding the small of the blonde’s back. “Why are you apologizing?” Armin was shaking, almost identical to Eren’s when he got to the blonde’s house.

“Because I-” His head hurt from how emotional he was getting. “I  _ hate  _ Floch.”

Eren’s eyes widened, but stopped himself from speaking to let the blonde finish.

“I hate him so  _ much _ he- everytime he teases me or hurts me it-” He sniffled, holding back another sob. “-it reminds me of that guy too.” 

Eren couldn’t control his reaction. He couldn’t help but hug Armin and bring him close. He felt Armin cry on his shoulder, and Eren let him cry it all out.

“I-I, I try and pretend like it doesn’t bother me but it  _ does _ . And whenever y-you or Jean start fighting I try to  _ defend  _ him because I h-hate when you guys fight and-” Armin lifted his head, but kept his gaze on Eren’s shoulder.

“I feel so  _ disgusting _ .” 

Eren couldn’t stop the way his breath hitched, his eyes glaring at the wall.

“And it only makes you more upset and I- I don’t know what to do.” Armin pulled back, meeting Eren’s eyes.

“I’m sorry.” 

Eren paused at Armin’s words, staring back at his friend. He would say he wanted to kill Floch, but he practically did that already.

He felt relieved yet pissed off at the same time. He hated when Armin apologized when he didn’t have to, but he was happy that Armin told him what his real problem was.

Armin blushed at the eye contact, looking down into his lap. He began blinking the last of his tears out of his eyes, only quiet sniffles being heard from him. 

Eren grabbed his jaw, making him look up. Armin’s face got impossibly more red.

“Minnie, don’t apologize for something like that again.”

“Eren-”

“I’m being fucking serious.” Armin’s eyes widened at Eren’s tone, not used to him being so authoritative. “I don’t want to hear you say you’re sorry for shit that isn’t your fault.”

“B-but I was  _ defending  _ him and-”

Eren’s grip on his jaw tightened to cut him off, and the blonde let out a small whimper in response.

“That’s  _ not  _ something you apologize for. You had a good reason.”

Armin blushed and tried to shift his gaze, but his jaw was pulled up once more. Eren made him look into his eyes, and before he knew it the blonde was slowly starting to tear up.

Eren’s glare softened, and he pulled Armin into a soft kiss. When he felt the blonde kiss him back he loosened the grip on Armin’s jaw.

He kissed the corner of his mouth, moving down towards his neck. He used his hand to tilt the blonde’s head, forcing his neck to be more exposed.

He kissed the center of his throat before moving to the side, closer to the blonde’s ear. His other hand rubbed small circles on the small of Armin’s back, easing him into his actions. He continued kissing the skin until he heard Armin’s breath hitch. 

He bit down on the spot below Armin’s ear, satisfied as the blonde made a small yelp. He sucked on the spot until Armin began to shake, failing to hide his whimpers. 

He moved from his neck and went back up to the blonde’s face, kissing his jaw and cheeks once more. God, he could kiss Armin for  _ hours _ .

He pulled back, pulling Armin’s face towards him. The blonde’s face was bright pink, and Eren could see where he bit his friend’s lip from before. The corners of Armin’s eyes were dotted with tears of arousal; Eren has given him hickeys a handful of times, yet he’s always  _ happily  _ surprised by how sensitive his neck was. 

As Armin caught his breath, Eren put a light kiss on his forehead. He kept his hand on the blonde’s jaw as he leaned his head down, bringing his lips closer to Armin’s ear.

“I like when you’re sittin’ like this. It’s easier to move you around.” Eren’s voice made Armin shiver, and the blonde blushed as he felt Eren rub his thumb over his cheek.

“You won’t apologize when you don’t have to, right?” Eren kept his head close to Armin’s ear and continued to whisper, however he managed to look at the blonde through the corner of his eyes.

Armin has never been more embarrassed yet aroused by Eren at the same time- he’s never been this  _ commanding  _ when they’ve made out, and it made Armin unable to use his words properly.

When the blonde didn’t respond Eren huffed, kissing the side of Armin’s head before biting his ear. 

Armin let out a yelp, and couldn’t stop the small noises that poured out of his mouth. Eren’s breath was so  _ hot  _ and  _ close  _ to his ear; he didn’t know what to do except melt on the spot.

“R-right… y-you’re right…” Armin could barely speak, and he began to feel dizzy as Eren continued his attack on his ear. This was something else  _ new _ , and Armin could only make tiny noises as Eren continued his movements.

Eren slowly pulled back, examining Armin’s face. The blonde looked ridiculously overstimulated, and it was  _ adorable _ . To be fair, this was the first time the brunette attempted to be so dominating, and he was glad it was a success.

“Good boy.” Eren meant his remark as a joke, but was pleasantly surprised when Armin’s eyes went wide, before he shoved his head into Eren’s neck, still attempting to catch his breath.

Eren ruffled Armin’s hair as leaned back, twisting the blonde strands in between his fingers. He rubbed up and down the blonde’s back, avoiding the spot in between his shoulder blades.

Eren knew that moments like these were going to be rare; Armin still had his pride despite popular belief.

Armin was going to kill him when he sees how obvious the hickey was; but until then… 

Eren was going to enjoy cuddling with the blonde on his bed.

  
  
  


**_FIN_ **

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first book COMPLETE!! :D all of your guys' comments mean so much to me you have no idea; you guys are too sweet!!
> 
> thank you so much for the positive feedback; if you have any requests in regards to this storyline or something completely different hmu :)
> 
> IMPORTANT: i've continuously mentioned an event that occurred 'last year' that involves Eren and Armin in almost all of my fics; this is a fic i've been working on so if you're interested in the back story just know that I will update that very soon!
> 
> have an awesome day, and thank you so much for the wonderful comments and kudos!!!! <3

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you guys enjoyed! all of my fics (including this series) are within the same timeline- once i have more fics i'll release their order :)
> 
> i am planning on writing a levi/erwin fic, but that will not be included in this timeline because (spoiler!) it won't be a modern au ;)
> 
> all feedback and suggestions are highly appreciated! if you have any aot requests don't be afraid comment them!
> 
> hope you all have a good day :D


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